2025 Audi Q5 vs 2025 Honda Pilot

The 2025 Honda Pilot was available in several trim levels, including the Sport, EX-L, TrailSport, Touring, Elite, and Black Edition. The Sport model was the most affordable, but it lacked many appealing amenities, making the leather-lined EX-L a recommended upgrade. Prices ranged from $40,200 to $54,580, plus a $1,395 destination charge. The Black Edition, evaluated in Southern California, featured black wheels, blacked-out exterior trim, and black badges, with a Modern Steel paint color. Inside, it boasted black leather seats with red perforation accents, red contrast stitching, and red ambient lighting. While the Black Edition's custom look was more suited for suburban environments, the Pilot's overall design aimed for a rugged appearance, especially with the TrailSport trim. The interior was thoughtfully designed with quality materials, though the digital driver display and infotainment system appeared dated, lacking a significant "wow factor."

The 2025 Audi Q5, in its third generation, leaned into SUV toughness with a large, textured grille, prominent side air intakes, and high-mounted headlights. Despite new styling elements, the design felt more evolutionary than revolutionary. Trim levels included Premium, Premium Plus, and Prestige, with LED Headlights Plus and programmable OLED taillights available on higher trims. The Q5 was offered in standard crossover SUV and coupe-like Q5 Sportback body styles, with the latter sacrificing cargo space and rear-seat headroom for a sleeker profile. The SQ5 performance grade featured increased power, sport suspension, and distinctive design elements. Inside, the Q5's design was detailed but somewhat discordant, with top-notch materials. The SQ5 offered a red interior with Alcantara trim, though it retained a chunk of piano-black plastic around the cupholders and shifter.

The 2025 Honda Pilot was powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission, generating 285 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. This drivetrain allowed most Pilot models to tow up to 5,000 pounds. The Pilot offered various driving modes, including Normal, Econ, Snow, Tow, Sport, Trail, and Sand. Models equipped with Honda's Intelligent Variable Torque Management (i-VTM4) AWD system featured hill descent control and up to 7.3 inches of ground clearance (8.3 inches for the TrailSport). The AWD system's torque vectoring allowed up to 70 percent of engine output to flow to a single rear wheel (75 percent in the TrailSport). While the V6 provided good acceleration, the transmission occasionally felt slow to downshift. Fuel economy was unimpressive, with an average of 20 mpg, falling short of the EPA rating of 21 mpg in combined driving. The Pilot's handling was predictable and secure, though an adaptive-damping suspension system would have benefited the Elite and Black Edition models.

The 2025 Audi Q5 featured a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and Quattro all-wheel drive (AWD). The base model's 2.0-liter turbo-four produced 268 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, while the SQ5's 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 made 362 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. The Q5's standard output was competitive, with slightly less horsepower than an Acura RDX but more torque. The SQ5's performance was comparable to a Mercedes-AMG GLC43, with a manufacturer-estimated zero to 60 mph time of 4.6 seconds. However, both the Q5 and SQ5 experienced turbo lag and rough shifts from the dual-clutch transmission. The Q5's steel-spring suspension with passive frequency selective damping provided capable handling, while the SQ5's air suspension with adaptive damping offered sportier tuning. Despite competent tuning, the Q5 and SQ5 didn't encourage aggressive driving. Off-Road and Off-Road Plus driving modes were available, but the Q5 was more suited for dirt roads than technical trails.

The 2025 Honda Pilot excelled in form and function, with three rows of comfortable seats and thoughtful storage solutions. However, the Black Edition's front passenger seat only offered a four-way adjustment, lacking height and cushion tilt adjustments. The front seats were comfortable and supportive, with heating and ventilation, and the second-row seats were roomy but lacked leg support. The third row was habitable for adults if the second row slid forward. The Pilot featured a remote engine starting system, triple-zone automatic climate control, and a panoramic sunroof. Cargo space included 18.6 cubic feet behind the third row, 48.5 cubic feet with the third row folded, and a maximum of 86.5 cubic feet with both rear rows folded.

The 2025 Audi Q5 maintained similar exterior dimensions and interior space to the 2024 model, with adequate headroom and legroom. A sliding and reclining 40/20/40 split-folding second-row bench seat was standard, with cargo-area buttons for easy adjustment. The Q5 offered 27.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row and 56.9 cubic feet behind the first row, providing more space than some rivals. A power tailgate and heated front seats were standard, with heated rear seats and ventilated front seats available on higher trims. The Q5's towing capacity was 4,400 pounds, surpassing some competitors.

The 2025 Honda Pilot's technology appeared dated, with smaller display screens compared to rivals. The Black Edition featured a 10.2-inch digital gauge panel and a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system, offering wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, SiriusXM satellite radio, and wireless smartphone charging. However, the wireless CarPlay function was problematic, and Honda's voice recognition system was inconsistent. The 12-speaker Bose audio system was adequate but not exceptional. The Pilot's CabinTalk feature allowed the driver to communicate with passengers over the stereo speakers, and a small four-inch head-up display was included.

The 2025 Audi Q5's standard infotainment setup included an 11.9-inch digital instrument cluster and a 14.5-inch central touchscreen, with a 10.9-inch touchscreen for the front passenger on the Prestige trim. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were standard, along with a cooled wireless charging pad. The Premium Plus trim added USB-C ports and a 16-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system. Audi's MMI infotainment system, based on Android Automotive OS, was user-friendly, with a built-in voice assistant for some vehicle functions. The digital instrument cluster had less functionality than previous versions, and an available head-up display provided additional information. The Q5 also featured Audi's Dynamic Interaction Light and digital key connectivity.

The 2025 Honda Pilot came equipped with a comprehensive suite of standard Honda Sensing safety features, including forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, lane-centering assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and adaptive cruise control. The Black Edition also had parking sensors and a multi-view camera system with TrailWatch technology. However, the adaptive cruise control and lane-centering assist systems had some issues, and the road sign recognition system was occasionally inaccurate. The Pilot earned high marks in crash tests, with a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS and a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA.

The 2025 Audi Q5 included standard driver-assist features such as adaptive cruise control, active front assist, lane departure warning, parking sensors, automatic high beams, blind spot monitoring, and traffic sign recognition. An exit alert feature used interior ambient lighting to warn occupants of oncoming vehicles or cyclists. Premium Plus models added a 360-degree camera system and adaptive cruise assist. Safety ratings from the IIHS and NHTSA were not available at the time of review, but Audi aimed to match the previous-generation Q5's five-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA.